Have you ever felt out of balance? Stuck in a place of brain fog, fatigue, and chronic puffiness?
It is no fun to feel that way! You aren’t quite sick (so no excuses to skip work) but you just don’t feel that hot.
Some people end up thinking that there is something wrong with them (why am I always in pain, and why can’t I lose my tummy, and why, oh why do I feel stuck in a cloud of fog?).
Our bodies will always looking for ways to bring us back into balance. And if we are out of balance on a regular basis, then we must look at what is causing that—especially if we want to maintain a long, and healthy life.
If we eat foods that do not serve our digestion and health, if we live in a constant state of stress, a toxic environment, or dependent on drugs, we may end up facing chronic inflammation.
Not the kind of inflammation associated with a sprained ankle or sore throat, but inflammation inside the body.
Inflammation
Chronic signs of inflammation are: swollen feet, high cholesterol, high percentage of body fat, mental and physical fatigue, and persisting aches and pains.
The problem, however, isn’t the inflammation itself—the problem is the underlying cause.
If you suppress the inflammation with anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or aspirin and statins, you will potentially shorten your life, and cause a plethora of unnecessary side effects.
Inflammation in the body can be caused by these factors:
• A poor diet
• Food sensitivities
• Stress
• Poor sleeping habits
• Toxins such as mercury and pesticides
• Environmental allergies to mold, dust, or cleaning products
• Lack of exercise
• A hidden illness
• A parasite or yeast overgrowth
It may be a combination of these causes, or could be boiled down to one simple ingredient.
Diet
A poor diet not only causes inflammation, it can sometimes lead to food sensitivities, which have become a chronic problem for many people.
If you eat food that causes inflammation in your body, you might experience symptoms including brain fog, fatigue, and feeling “puffy.” Sometimes the inflammation will cause pain in muscles and joints, which is why dietary changes are often the key to healing a physical ache.
The top five food sensitivities are gluten, corn, dairy, soy, and eggs.
Testing for Food Sensitivities
To test for these food sensitivities, try an elimination diet. For three weeks, cut out all gluten, corn, dairy, soy, and eggs.
Introduce one food at a time every four days. When introducing the food, eat it several times a day for two to three days and observe your physical reactions.
If you immediately get a strong reaction, there is no point in eating that food. You are sensitive to it, and need to stop eating it until your body gets healthy enough to handle the food.
After determining which foods you are sensitive to, you'll need to start healing your gut so that you can handle those foods again (unless you have a real allergy to them).
If changing your diet does not resolve the symptoms of inflammation in your body, take a good look at the other aspects of your life, from stress management to potentially harmful environmental toxins such as the cleaning products you are using and the levels of dust and mold in your home. Assess how much you exercise. Is it too little or too much?
Remember, everything in your body wants to be healthy and in balance. If you take the time to care for yourself, to cultivate your inner self so you can have everything grow well as it wants to, you will heal, be in balance, and live a long and beautiful life.
Tysan Lerner is a certified health coach and personal trainer. She helps women attain their body and beauty goals without starving themselves or spending hours at the gym. Her website is www.lavendermamas.com
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